Centenary Camerata Reunion Concert Takes Place Feb. 23

SHREVEPORT, La. — The Hurley School of Music's choral group Camerata will celebrate their 25th Anniversary with a Reunion Concert on February 23 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Anderson Auditorium of Centenary's Hurley Building. The concert is part of the College's Homecoming Festivities and Centennial Celebration.

Camerata

Camerata alumni will take part in this very special concert and will travel from as far west as New Mexico and as far north as New York for a weekend of reunion celebration and concert rehearsal under the leadership of conductor Dr. Julia Thorn, Associate Professor of Music. "Camerata performances have often been lauded for technical excellence combined with genuine understanding of musical expression," said conductor Julia Thorn. "I am thrilled with the opportunity to make music once again with so many of the gifted students who have been such a part of Camerata's success." Former students returning for the reunion represent many professional musicians as well as singers from a wide variety of career fields.

[http://www.centenary.edu/html] The group of 45 alumni singers will present concert selections featuring music of Beethoven and Brahms as well as many of their favorite contemporary pieces throughout the years. Included in the program will be works composed by alumni Taylor Davis and James Eakin, who were significant contributors to the group as singers and are now established figures in the world of choral composition. For this special occasion, [http://www.centenary.edu/ | Centenary College] has commissioned a composition by internationally acclaimed New Zealand composer David Childs. Current Camerata singers will premier his "Our Birth is But a Sleep," set to poetry from Wordsworth's Intimations of Immortality. Current and former members of the ensemble will combine for two pieces that have been standards in Camerata's repertoire during Dr. Thorn's tenure as director of the group, the hymn arrangement "Precious Lord" and the rousing spiritual "My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord." The concert will conclude with a beautiful work by American composer Stephen Paulus that is new to all members of Camerata, "The Road Home," in celebration of the return of so many former students back to their Alma Mater. ==About Camerata Camerata was founded in 1983 by Dr. Gale Odom, now Dean of the [http://www.centenary.edu/music | Hurley School of Music]. Dr. Julia Thorn, became conductor of the ensemble in 1997 upon arriving at Centenary. The group has grown from a small chamber group of singers to a large choir through the 11 years that Dr. Thorn has been the conductor. Camerata has sung at the Music Educators National Conference, the Louisiana Music Education Association, the Louisiana Division of the American Choral Directors Association, the Spivey Hall Educational Concert Series in Atlanta, Georgia; and most recently at Carnegie Hall as invited solo performers on their Masterworks Concert Series. In addition, Camerata premieres and records various projects for the Santa Barbara Music Publishing Company, which will publish David Childs' commissioned work for this occasion. Admission for this concert is free and open to the public. ==[css||margin-top:-40px]About Us [http://www.centenary.edu/ | Centenary College of Louisiana] is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and is regularly rated as one of the top colleges in the South. In 2008 Centenary College celebrates 100 years in Shreveport and Bossier City.